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Yoakum County deputy accused of sharing information with suspect

The Lubbock County assistant criminal district attorney issued a warrant for deputy Cory Jace Carlson.

A Yoakum County sheriff’s deputy is being accused of abusing his position to share sensitive information with a suspect being indicted on a felony warrant.

The Lubbock County assistant criminal district attorney issued a warrant for deputy Cory Jace Carlson, accusing him of disclosing the information “with intent to harm or defraud another.”

Warrant documents reveal a confidential informant saw Carlson at a party held at the residence of Anthony Riojas on Sept. 7. Carlson was seen consuming alcohol while wearing his badge and gun, documents show.

Others at the party smoked marijuana in Carlson’s presence, stated the confidential informant, whose identity is not listed on the documents.

Riojas served as a confidential information for an undisclosed amount of time, but was terminated for not abiding by the contract, documents show.

At 4:15 a.m. Wednesday, Carlson called a Lubbock police officer’s city-issued cellphone, the warrant documents reveal. Identifying himself as a Yoakum County Sheriff’s Office deputy, Carlson told the Lubbock officer, “I have a gentleman stopped advising he is a confidential informant working for you, and I wondered what you wanted me to do with him.”

Carlson identified the man as Riojas.

The Lubbock officer told Carlson that Riojas had been dismissed as an informant, adding the Lubbock Police Department was going to obtain a felony warrant to take Riojas into custody.

Carlson replied, “So he’s getting indicted and arrested on Tuesday.”

About two hours later, Carlson called the officer again, sounding slow, slurred, and nonsensical, according to court documents.

Carlson said he was still with Riojas and advised the officer to allow Riojas to work again as an informant. When asked why he was still with Riojas, Carlson said he was doing undercover work. When pressed, Carlson said he was an investigator for Yoakum County.

The Lubbock officer told Carlson he didn’t believe him because the Lubbock PD narcotics unit was not advised of agencies conducting work outside the city.

In the documents, the officer said he believes Carlson “was misusing his authority to obtain information. (Carlson) was intoxicated and obtaining information about Anthony Riojas for Anthony Riojas. This information could jeopardize the entire investigation as well as put other officers endanger (sic) if Anthony Riojas knows he has felony warrants.”

An Avalanche-Journal reporter’s 4:15 p.m. call Thursday to Carlson’s phone was not returned.

Yoakum County Sheriff Donald Corzine could not be reached for comment Thursday when called three times between 3 and 4:15 p.m. A phone operator stated Corzine was in a meeting, and then left the building shortly before 4:15 p.m.